The secret's out: family homes on site of WWII spy centre in Bedfordshire offer 30-minute trains to London

Rutherford Fields, a new residential estate in the Bedfordshire commuter belt, is no longer a secret, but during the Second World War it was one of most confidential British military communications centres, as important as the Bletchley code-breaking complex.

Known as Q Central, more than 600 servicemen and women ran its telephone and telegraph exchange, at the time the biggest of its kind on the planet.

Later it became RAF Stanbridge but the base closed in 2013 when logistics operations were moved elsewhere.

Today it is an attractive settlement of 175 homes with a nature reserve and play areas for children, and is close to the market town of Leighton Buzzard, which has five trains an hour to Euston with a journey time of 30 minutes.

Young families priced out of London are heading this way.

Three-bedroom semis cost from £330,000. Call developer Catalyst on 0300 456 2079 for more details.